Protected's recent activity
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Comment on What is a non-professional situation, area or activity in which you are uniquely experienced or skilled? in ~talk
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Comment on Epic's new game strategy for mobile stores in ~games
Protected Link ParentI don't care about Epic or the game so my only interest is in seeing phone manufacturers get punished for their increasingly more egregious anti-modding stances, since I mod my phones.I don't care about Epic or the game so my only interest is in seeing phone manufacturers get punished for their increasingly more egregious anti-modding stances, since I mod my phones.
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Comment on Epic's new game strategy for mobile stores in ~games
Protected Link ParentI don't like Epic but I respect this decision at least.I don't like Epic but I respect this decision at least.
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Comment on What is a non-professional situation, area or activity in which you are uniquely experienced or skilled? in ~talk
Protected Link ParentDo you get annoyed when you're trying to get somewhere and there are a bunch of people zigzagging all over the sidewalk not looking where they're going completely unaware of how they're getting in...Do you get annoyed when you're trying to get somewhere and there are a bunch of people zigzagging all over the sidewalk not looking where they're going completely unaware of how they're getting in the way?
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Comment on What is a non-professional situation, area or activity in which you are uniquely experienced or skilled? in ~talk
Protected Link ParentAmusingly, I do not actually have perfect pitch in the first place. You need to give me a key before I can sing or whistle.Amusingly, I do not actually have perfect pitch in the first place. You need to give me a key before I can sing or whistle.
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Comment on Google now only search engine allowed to provide results from Reddit in ~tech
Protected Link ParentReddit did block vast swathes of IP addresses since last year though. They're trying their hardest.Reddit did block vast swathes of IP addresses since last year though. They're trying their hardest.
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Comment on What is a non-professional situation, area or activity in which you are uniquely experienced or skilled? in ~talk
Protected Link ParentI whistle often when I'm alone. I can whistle any melody within my range, though I can only do the one type of whistle - with my lips, no teeth, tongue or fingers involved. I can do the...I whistle often when I'm alone. I can whistle any melody within my range, though I can only do the one type of whistle - with my lips, no teeth, tongue or fingers involved. I can do the whistle+humming if necessary.
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Comment on What is a non-professional situation, area or activity in which you are uniquely experienced or skilled? in ~talk
Protected LinkI wouldn't say I'm uniquely skilled at anything but I have a variety of little skills and interests that I don't use professionally and don't make me any money. Some examples: I'm very good at...I wouldn't say I'm uniquely skilled at anything but I have a variety of little skills and interests that I don't use professionally and don't make me any money. Some examples:
- I'm very good at memorizing melodies; I can learn songs with high accuracy with comparatively little effort and remember voices for a while too (not so good at imitating them, but I can replay them in my head. I'm my own music library.)
- I'm really good at judging equivalent volumes for some reason, which is great for finding containers for storing leftovers in the fridge ;)
- I remember all of those relevant xkcds.
- I'm really good at perceiving the flow in a good Beat Saber level, and I believe the limitations of my fleshy body (and possibly my plasticky hardware) are the main reasons I'll never be a world class player. Possibly related, I'm a really good driver and thanks to my reaction speed have in the past avoided collisions in seemingly miraculous ways (though I hate driving).
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Comment on Roblox’s pedophile problem in ~games
Protected Link ParentWe're talking about an international billion dollar company. Setting aside the deplorable inaction of the Tucson cops, Roblox are much better positioned for generally preventing misuse of their...We're talking about an international billion dollar company. Setting aside the deplorable inaction of the Tucson cops, Roblox are much better positioned for generally preventing misuse of their own product than a web of disjointed local, national and international police forces.
We've known for years how exploitative Roblox's business model is of children - even this article mentions the young victim "working" for her kidnapper. The company generate a ridiculous amount of profit off the backs of its young users. Yet, also going by the article, they're seemingly too cheap to hire an amount of moderators sufficient for keeping up with the amount of data exchanged on the platform. No one is going to convince me they can't afford it, and if you read through the article at the many statements the company has made, they always skirt around this one issue. They're creating better "tools" and nominating new "positions" and, just like many other of the more massive online platforms, are going to keep disclaiming responsability because it's not feasible to hire more people and profit a little less? I find that super gross myself.
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Comment on Humble Games responds and confirms that whilst it is restructuring, it is not shutting down in ~games
Protected Link ParentI liked this version. I'm not surprised there are humans who write press releases that look like they were written by AI. Where else would AI have learned to write like that?I liked this version.
I'm not surprised there are humans who write press releases that look like they were written by AI. Where else would AI have learned to write like that?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentTo be clear, the puzzles densely placed all over in the big mainland area (all five regions) are temporary puzzles that cycle every day (save for a handful of types, such as skydrops, which cycle...To be clear, the puzzles densely placed all over in the big mainland area (all five regions) are temporary puzzles that cycle every day (save for a handful of types, such as skydrops, which cycle much faster). You don't need to solve them at all if you don't want to, but they're there for people who like daily challenges that are applications of what they learned in the enclaves. I vaguely recall that the problem was that repeating a mainland puzzle, even if it had cycled, no longer added progress to your various "mastery" progress trackers. Such progress can yield currency for skills and cosmetics and such, as well as MMO titles. There is no way to tell a cleared mainland puzzle apart from an uncleared one so I suggest not solving any of them with completionism in mind and taking potential benefits from them as an added, nice-to-have bonus.
To the best of my knowledge, every single puzzle in every enclave area is a manually designed, fixed puzzle. Enclave progress is saved and permanent, and enclave objective completion yields mirabilis (cubes). Enclaves are named areas, and every enclave name and enclave mirabilis status is visible in your map. Most enclaves are located in small independent islands or archipelagos, but several are embedded within the mainland. Mainland enclaves function just like the others, with fixed puzzles and permanent progress. You will know you have entered an enclave because there will be a big enclave name announcement on the screen, and the current unlocked objectives for it should appear in the corner (some enclave objectives may require finding or solving something before they are listed). Progress towards completing the game is progress in reaching and completing every enclave. Not to mention every enclave teaches you something or contains a special challenge of some kind. Much more fun to focus on these!
You don't need to unlock the launchpads in the mainland to access the independent archipelago enclaves. Some enclaves can be accessed by careful jumping and gliding from other enclaves. If you can reach it, you can play it out of order! (The voice in the sky will say something to the effect of you being a smartass ;) )
The obelisks with the laser beams that connect to hidden cubes all over the mainland count as enclaves with permanent progress.
During my time with the game, the developers added several more enclave-type permanent progress challenges that didn't exist when I started playing.
In the end game there is also a meta scavenger hunt accessible behind the floating platform area in the second region (each challenge has to be unlocked independently).
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentI quit after around 70 hours because the servers kept going down some fifteen minutes into attempting to solve said big and complicated puzzles, which kicked me out of the game and forced me to...I quit after around 70 hours because the servers kept going down some fifteen minutes into attempting to solve said big and complicated puzzles, which kicked me out of the game and forced me to start over, but I was almost done with all the enclaves (only some of the fifth and final area left to solve). Also they were supposed to be releasing an offline mode sometime around now so you shouldn't have this problem anymore.
The crystal mazes were equally problematic for me; solving them mainly consisted in memorizing the layout of the maze before the critical attempt.
Some puzzle types, like skydrops or the tile swapping ones, took many instances before they really clicked. Others, like the fractals, never clicked, and I really hate(d) them. And I was bad at every challenge with a time limit.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected LinkI took Cultist Simulator for a spin. This game is played "entirely" on a virtual tabletop, in which cards that you can drag and drop are deployed representing various concepts. You have a number...I took Cultist Simulator for a spin. This game is played "entirely" on a virtual tabletop, in which cards that you can drag and drop are deployed representing various concepts. You have a number of verbs available, like Work, Talk, etc. and you can slot cards into them. Cards take time to use with a verb and also expire if not used, so this is a game of timeouts and progress bars, somewhat reminiscent of Citizen Sleeper. Operations (and sometimes random events) yield new cards, and some verbs may appear and disappear that automatically consume cards of certain types whether you want it or not.
I like the elegance of the concept, but I did not love this game; compared to Citizen Sleeper, it had considerably more egregious design flaws. The player (the cultist) must be fed, and to eat he has to perform some kind of work to produce money (cards). This is usually a grindy, tightly timed loop that requires investing the player's very limited amount of mental capacity (cards). The game will shower the player with physical and mental illness events that must be dealt with, taking up even more resources and more of the player's attention. Another problem I found was that a verb can only be used on one card at a time, and the Study verb quickly emerged as a major chokepoint, since it's required for basically any kind of progress. I would have enjoyed trying to accomplish more than one thing at a time and essentially optimizing my gameplay, but it turned out to be a recipe for frustration as it may turn out that the various cards' short timeouts and the verb capacity problem simply do not permit it, but you only realize it fifteen minutes later when all your cards burn up because you couldn't use them on time.
I also played American Arcadia.
You are Trevor Hills, an accountant living in the utopian city of Arcadia in 70s US. Trevor has a boring life of peaceful routine, and he likes it just like that. He greets all his neighbors, doesn't litter and doesn't miss a day of work. Until the day Gus, his coworker, disappears on a mysterious "vacation".
You are Angela Solano, a stage technician working in 2023 for Walton Media, a fictional megacorporation with absolutely no real world counterpart, known for its famous cartoon dog and early cinema beginnings. In his lifetime, founder Elijah Walton and Angela's favorite person, his inventor friend Arpad Kovacs, envisioned Arcadia as, uh, let's call it an experimental prototype community. Of tomorrow. Then Elijah passed away and his brother fired Kovacs and took the company in a different direction. A corrupt senator helps secure for Walton Media the legal right to adopt people, and a new Arcadia is born, a reality show populated by generations of people owned by the company, who, none the wiser, live their lives for the entertainment of those outside. A dense web of cameras, facial recognition tech and smartphone apps allow viewers to see what their favorite Arcadian citizens are up to at all times. It's like the Truman Show on steroids! A disgusted Angela is recruited by an activist group that informs her that Trevor and other boring people are slated for disposal, since ratings are down and they are no longer profitable to keep around. She readily agrees to help save him.
Gameplay consists in platforming with escape and stealth sequences and simplistic puzzle solving. The strength of the game is in its narrative; while the various characters have a simplistic design as a deliberate stylistic choice, the game does have great sets that bring the city/studio of Arcadia to life. Trevor does all the platforming and parkour, always in a 2D sidescrolling format (like in INSIDE or Trine). Angela on the other hand moves freely in 3D, but won't even jump; her contribution consists in looking through cameras and controlling the many devices in Arcadia in order to help Trevor and stall pursuers. The game transitions seamlessly between them as Angela sits at a computer or picks up her smartphone to keep tabs on Trevor inbetween constant interruptions and threats of being found out by the company.
I thought the game was pretty good. It can be played through in less than 7 hours, but I enjoyed the narrative including the various characters and plot twists. Expect extreme cynicism from the plot; Walton Media cheerfully employs brainwashing, taser drones, ultrasound torture and more as part of their system of checks and controls for the people of Arcadia, all the while tourists are allowed to vacation in monitored parts of the dome. At one point you'll see a livestream chat callously commenting on the events taking place. I won't spoil what actually happens to Trevor or Angela, but this should give you an idea of the general tone! Occasional funny moments notwithstanding.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentNobody knows! I'm glad you're enjoying Islands of Insight. Despite the compulsive puzzle-solving induced by the sheer variety of puzzles available, the grid puzzles will remain the stars of the...why is it an MMO?
Nobody knows!
I'm glad you're enjoying Islands of Insight. Despite the compulsive puzzle-solving induced by the sheer variety of puzzles available, the grid puzzles will remain the stars of the show and the learning curve for the increasing amount of mechanics is pretty good. It feels great to stop running around and take the time to solve the really big and complicated ones.
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Comment on Crunchyroll announces the removal of its comment section across all platforms to 'reduce harmful content' in ~tech
Protected LinkI'm not familiar with Crunchyroll's, but in my experience comment sections/forums on anime-related content can often be extremely toxic. Some anime fans sure can hate the thing they profess to...I'm not familiar with Crunchyroll's, but in my experience comment sections/forums on anime-related content can often be extremely toxic. Some anime fans sure can hate the thing they profess to love. They seem miserable all the damn time.
I don't blame Crunchyroll for not wanting to deal with the whole thing if it brings them less value than they gain from it.
This is a societal problem though. I don't think it can ever be fixed with moderation. Moderation can exclude people from a community, but they still exist and are out there, growing more resentful and more eager to unload their vitriol on any bad social network or unmoderated comment section they can find.
I would suggest that we could start by better and more closely guiding younger people in their earlier interactions with the internet, instead of just handing them a tablet without explaining to them that all the people they're going to see in the next two days telling them to kill themselves are not behaving acceptably.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2024, a week-long charity fundraiser featuring speedruns, is live (runs June 30 - July 6) in ~games
Protected Link ParentYeah, unfortunately most of the runs I ended up liking the most happened while I was asleep (I only caught Stuart Little 2 live from the silly block). But I did manage to stay up all night for...Yeah, unfortunately most of the runs I ended up liking the most happened while I was asleep (I only caught Stuart Little 2 live from the silly block). But I did manage to stay up all night for Grand Poo World 3 live so there's that.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2024, a week-long charity fundraiser featuring speedruns, is live (runs June 30 - July 6) in ~games
Protected LinkThe "silly" games block this year was a lot of fun (it usually is). I didn't get to watch all of it (yet)? but here are some links: Leaf Blower Man: This Game Blows! - No one likes you, Leaf...The "silly" games block this year was a lot of fun (it usually is). I didn't get to watch all of it (yet)? but here are some links:
Leaf Blower Man: This Game Blows! - No one likes you, Leaf Blower Person! This game has the best ad breaks of any game I've ever seen!
Mad Panic Coaster - There's some serious skill in evidence in this run. A cool but patently unfair game with (as mentioned by the runners) straight out impossible to react to cues, you just have to know they're coming up!
Sushi Soul Universe - The sequel to I'm Going To Die If I Don't Eat Sushi. I love these games. NANI!?
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2024, a week-long charity fundraiser featuring speedruns, is live (runs June 30 - July 6) in ~games
Protected Link ParentHere's a link to The Talos Principle 2. It was interesting! If you've played the game... This isn't like that. It's a glitch heavy speedrun which skips every puzzle!Here's a link to The Talos Principle 2. It was interesting! If you've played the game... This isn't like that. It's a glitch heavy speedrun which skips every puzzle!
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2024, a week-long charity fundraiser featuring speedruns, is live (runs June 30 - July 6) in ~games
Protected Link ParentI was absolutely right in my expectations for the kaizo mario runs being one of the highlights of this GDQ. Everyone who liked this should go watch the Super Mario World Kaizo Relay Race, which I...I was absolutely right in my expectations for the kaizo mario runs being one of the highlights of this GDQ.
Everyone who liked this should go watch the Super Mario World Kaizo Relay Race, which I had the pleasure of watching live. Two teams of top kaizo runners (including Shoujo) competed through a gauntlet created by top kaizo level designers. Excellent vibe and banter and a packed room. Also, Dan Salvato sneaked in a level that's more of a Just Shapes & Beats bullet hell than SMW, which caught me entirely by surprise.
MrMightyMouse ran Grand Poo World 3 with an incredible pace and skill. His couch was Barb (the creator of the game) and GrandPooBear himself. I'd seen GrandPooBear play parts of the game before, but it was new at the time and there was a lot of dying and sometimes confusion, so this was definitely worth watching. Also, Barb's satisfied sadistic little chuckles whenever the game's many kaizo blocks and other devious mechanics are discussed were a delight!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June/July 2024 in ~games
Protected Link ParentLove seeing requests for Road 96 on Tildes, I wrote a little about it in the past for those who want to learn more (the game has been given away before, so I'm sure it will be given away again in...Love seeing requests for Road 96 on Tildes, I wrote a little about it in the past for those who want to learn more (the game has been given away before, so I'm sure it will be given away again in the future!)
I got a lot more time out of it (>13hrs) than Inmost (>4hrs) but I remember enjoying Inmost too.
Got me into progressive rock because my brain plays music pretty much all day long, so I'll quickly get sick of anything I can memorize easily. Earworms are the worst.
To help me focus I either explicitly listen to a music of a deliberate genre (I like metal for programming!) or a noise machine.
I don't think I can pick out instruments from a piece of music very well but that may have something to do with a complete lack of knowledge about what instruments there are and what they sound like. If they sound extremely different, then sure, but I can't tell a violin from a viola.